do not be afraid

genesis 15:1-6

Psalm 33:12-22

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32

The Lord tells Abram, “fear not,” the second time the Hebrew word yare (‘afraid’) occurs in the Jewish Bible. The first time was Genesis 3:10 when Adam told God, “I hid because I was afraid.” The word afraid will occur 412x. Fear is a big problem.

The central role of doubt and fear are manifest from the beginning, although the Bible is silent on why Adam and Eve sinned. This is the nature of a richly symbolic revelation--it invites us to hear and interpret (within the context of the church). I think God was absent in order to give humans the freedom to choose to trust and love Him. Absence, however, also provides freedom to not trust and not love. The doubt of Adam and Eve opened the door to fear and sin. Eve did not trust God, she trusted herself. Did she fear being duped? I don’t know but we do know that they hid from God in fear. What is more frightening, to be abandoned by God or face His judgement and rejection?

Did Adam blame Eve because he was afraid to face his guilt? 
Did his betrayal feed her doubt and fear? 
Cain will soon murder Abel—biblical families are rife with jealousy, betrayal and even violence. Trust and love are risky business.

We will each experience doubt and fear in our own unique ways. Do you prefer God’s providence or your own autonomy?
Is it better to be isolated or to trust someone? 
Can you face the truth about yourself and take responsibility or do you prefer projecting it on others? 
From the beginning we have had to subdue the world, work and keep watch. Creation is good, but it is also dangerous. No matter how brave or strong we might be, the threats are bigger than we are. God's solution to our dilemma is salvation; which unfolds in promises!

In Genesis 12 God had promised an heir to Abram. Abram believed, but he also wavered. He was worried about the lack of an heir.  Now, in Genesis 15 “The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid…" This is how prophets described God’s communication. The prophetic word is aimed at salvation! Abraham worried about an heir, in spite of God’s promise. Now God’s prophetic word is, “Fear not, I am your shield.” The prophetic word sets us back on the right path. Like us, Abraham struggled to trust in God’s promise.

Hebrews says "by faith Abraham obeyed..." Hebrew says that faith is confident assurance in what is unseen. Fortunately, even when our confidence is less than assured, we can still be obedient. Faith and obedience are interconnected. Sometimes faith is behaving like the promise is true, even if we are unsure.

Jesus says, "Do not be afraid little flock, it has pleased the Father to give you the Kingdom." God’s promise to us is a share in His reign. We have everything we need in God, but we may not always feel sure that that is true. Jesus tells us to check our hearts—do we desire God or are we led by our other desires? He warns us to use material wealth to help others, He says. The amount of wealth we have is easy to overlook. The lure of pleonexia--wanting more cannot be ignored. Jesus wants us: Be watchful and faithful.  

Prayer, worship and study, in-reach and outreach are concrete ways to trust and obey Jesus. Be alert to what scares you, or worries you. Be aware of your doubts. Doubt and Fear block theosis union with God. We are all unsure, worried and afraid, in our own way. Admit it and do not let them steal your heart from God. 

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"The word of the Lord came..."

this expression occurs a dozen or so times in the books of Samuel and Kings in connection with prophets like Elijah or directly to a king. Jeremiah has it 20x, Exekiel 49x and Zechariah 4x. There are also many more examples, with slight modifications in wording or order, which are also found. The point is this is a standard expression of prophecy and an indication that Abraham was also a prophet.

The Bible does not provide much psychological information, so we rarely have insights into motivations. We are left to interpret, based on the Rule of Faith (the orthodox faith and church teaching), most narratives. This must be done carefully and humbly. So what I say above about fear and doubt is my opinion, and, therfore, not put forth as necessarily true.